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empatheias_ooc2015-01-01 06:40 pm
simpathis) wrote in empatheias_ooc2015-01-01 06:40 pm
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Mod Announcement: January
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! A new year means new things, and boy are there a lot of things that is going to happen to the game. For those who are familiar with MMOs, you might think of this as a game expansion. For the most part, things have been slow and uneventful. But with the introduction of the Arehtei from last month's island expansion, the game is going to take on a slightly different direction. Or perhaps it's a big one.
Because it's a bit complex, we're breaking this up into two parts. This first part is going to serve as a kind of background and a heads up of what's to come. The Mid-Month Mod post will continue with the actual changes that are happening. The changes themselves aren't so drastic that they would change the game completely, but they are big enough to require a bit of explanation, especially since it's pulling from new elements introduced into the game.
So, if you usually skim the mod posts, don't! We have a lot of important things that you must be aware of.
New Calendar.
One big new feature that I'd like to announce is the introduction of the Game Calendar. Those who used to mod games before might be screaming at the idea (don't worry, I did, too, and Jade kept shaking her head at me), but take a look first. It's actually very simple and should be easy to update.
The calendar itself is structured to visually look like how the local Empatheian calendar will look like, including the years, names of the months, days, seasons, and known important holidays that are celebrated. For the most part it tracks our own calendar, just arranged a bit differently. There is another corresponding page that gives more information about how the calendar and the seasons work in the game lore. It can be read here.
Not only is this an IC resource, but it also serves as an excellent OOC resource as I have included dates of all the Test Drive, Application, Reservation, and Activity Check periods. Dates that have events or other things happening on them have notes on the cell to indicate the event.
The calendar can also be used to schedule player plots. As soon as we know when one is occurring, we will put it on the calendar.
This calendar will always be referenced in our bi-monthly mod posts similar to the old dating system worked, and there is a link to it on all relevant pages/profiles.
So if you always had trouble trying to remember what happened when, just use the calendar!
Secondly, I am reformatting the original "Dates" section and it will now be called "Calendar." Along with the link to the main calendar, there will also be a text-list version of the dates. Along with the usual dates, I will now include upcoming known events for the month in this section. For those that aren't meant to be fully unveiled until later, it will be indicated with a "???." This should help give players a more "at a glance" look at how the month will be. So without further ado, here are a few dates you need to be aware of for the month.
- 1/01: Applications open.
- 1/07: Applications close; Reservations close.
- 1/16: EVENT - Temple Revisited
- 1/18: Test Drive.
- 1/24: EVENT - Night of Selenium + ???
- 1/25: Activity Check starts; Reservations open.
- 1/31: Activity Check ends.
The mid-monthly mod posts will also have the "Calendar" section to help remind players what will happen in the last two weeks, and will be updated with any new dates.
Activity Check Results
Below are the following who were either removed from the Activity Check or dropped out of the game. The list includes all characters who left the game throughout the month.
Archer |
madeofswordsDante |
exaggeratedDylas |
sullenstallionEstelle |
storywriterFi |
wiifiIV |
gimmickpuppetsJulius Will Kresnik |
bromatoKokonoe |
upgradeyouMinako Aino |
relovesMizael |
tachyonmeNanoha Takamachi |
starlight_breakerPriere |
wannabesaintPrince Hans |
ingoodhansRyudo |
granaSimon Blackquill |
shacklebreakerTakakage Kobayakawa |
thirdarrowThe Lone Wanderer |
thecatfrom101The Spine |
backstoryTrunks Brief |
undiesTybalt |
armisonantVivio Takamachi |
thesacredheartThe following received strikes and must pass the January Activity Check to remain in the game.
counterharmonicsobligatesspecialeyesthemortalhalfIf there are any mistakes, please let us know ASAP!
Jobs & Task Board + Looking for Volunteers.
The Task Board has been updated so characters can start taking on odd jobs if they are so inclined. Details as to how the Task Board works and sign-up can be done here. In addition, there is now a Job List sheet that list out more permanent jobs available for characters. These are different from the Task Board jobs as they can be used as part-time or full-time jobs and do not have any specific time period. If you want your character to have a job, that's it. In addition, this is where we will list character run businesses. So if you have one or are thinking about one, there will be a place where it can be referenced and looked at. You can even make tasks relating to your business.
Verens Crystal Status.
According to the Emotional Flow Tracker, and considering the good feels from the various Christmas related festivities along with the locals no longer panicking as much, the crystal has left the "black" and is now closer to a light gray. Not quite back in the "clear," but things are now back to normal.
Which is probably a good thing given everyone is about to get a bombshell dropped on them.
Night of Selenium.
Before going into the meat of this entry, it should be noted that there is one particular game event scheduled for Saturday, January 24. "Night of Selenium" is essentially a combination of the winter solstice and a night remembering the dead. They pay their respects with floating lanterns. The event itself is rather subdued, but it should be noted that something unexpected will occur during this occasion.
What that is will be revealed at that time. But it'll be big and important.
We'll provide more details about this particular event in the Mid-Month Mod Announcement, so this is more to give you all a heads up.
Inoman's Findings.
Lindsy has published a report that is accessible to everyone who may be interested. Copies can be found in various bookstores and the library. There will be a catch all "discussion" post so characters can discuss and theorize. If they have questions, they can send Lindsy a letter through our NPC Mailbox.
This report is written ICly, so it's lengthy. Probably too lengthy for most players, but it has a lot of detail that would otherwise be left out. Most everyone should already know most of what has been said due to what has been dispensed by the characters who were involved in the group explorations, and a lot of the report is more or less confirming what has been found. But there are some new things that we'll point out in this mod post, as those are the real groundbreaking discoveries that will affect the game from here on out.
Ghost Town.
As mentioned before, the ghost town, Inoman, is now open and accessible for anyone to visit. All the information you need about the town and its current status can be found in the report as well as the updated Island page. If you need more details, feel free to contact us, especially if you wish to have any NPC interaction.
NOTE: the skeletons and ghosts are no longer around.
Temple Revisited.
One important thing Lindsy writes about is the town's connection to the original temple ruins the characters first appeared in. It would appear that the town's inhabitants went to the temple to pay homage to beings called "Arehtei."
Now, some may recall that there was a giant, sealed door at the bottom most level of the ruins. No one could open it. Some probably thought it never would be (or was forgotten), but surprise! It will, and while no one will be there for the initial opening, it's going to be known and the characters will be requested to come about a day or two afterward.
So on Friday, January 16, anyone who is interested will be able to go into the temple and see the discovery. Because it's a big one, and it will explain what happens when characters leave and give a clue as to why they're even here.
Or open more questions. Everyone loves that.
The Arehtei.
The word "Arehtei" was introduced during the explorations, with those involved being more familiar with it. As is written in the report, Lindsy has more or less determined that they are god-like beings which represent eight different emotional dynamics. Here they are:
- Sosyne - representing calm and anger; symbolic color is periwinkle blue
- Elios - representing hate and love; symbolic color is blood-orange
- Aiada - representing envy and appreciation; symbolic color is mint green
- Thras - representing courage and fear; symbolic color is golden yellow
- Daimonia - representing joy and grief; symbolic color is coral pink
- Peromei - representing hope and despair; symbolic color is creamy white
- Piphron - representing trust and distrust; symbolic color is dark navy blue
- Simpathis - representing sympathy and apathy; symbolic color is silver
Some of you may be looking at one of those names and making a few connections.
The Arehtei are going to remain a large mystery for the characters until they meet one, and they will (soon). Whether they are actual gods, powerful spirits, monsters, or something else altogether will be figured out as the game progresses. Like the world, they are also directly affected by the emotions they represent. How they are affected will be made clear, but it might not be too difficult to guess.
The Arehtei will also be making appearances, either by coming to the island or by being sought out. That's right, there will be many occasions and even certain periods where finding these Arehtei will be a focal point of the game. Of course, the latter is catered toward those who are more interested in that aspect of the game and participation will also be optional. But there will be journeys that will need to be undertaken.
Journeys that will take them off the island and into the unknown.
That is about as much that can be said without spoiling things too much. But I will add that not all of them are friendly, and the reason for that is part of the game's story plot.
An information page entry has been made on the mod journal. It's a bit bare bones and will only be updated as the game progresses. But you can see it here.
What's To Come.
All of this will actually affect the characters and as can be seen will have more plot relevance in the future. After January 16, more things will happen in the game, and in the mod post following that we will explain how that event will change how the characters will work in Empatheias from February forward.
As mentioned at the top of the post, the changes won't be so drastic that whatever plans you might have had are now thrown off over the island. But they will bring in a lot more opportunities for deeper plots as we move the focus of the game away from "slice-of-life" and back on track for its original "fantasy adventure" intent. Slice-of-life will definitely still be doable, but the box will be shaken up and people will be able to go outside it.
Player Plots & Events.
We'll close this announcement with a few plots and mingling opportunities created by players.
- Potential Food Poisoning. Jacqli has a small food stand offering a few snacks and a BBQ Soda beverage. Question is, will you be okay after you eat it?
- Mickey's Christmas Party. Mickey threw a Christmas Party to help spread the holiday spirit. Santa's even there!!
- Secret Santa Exchange. Athena has a small party for those involved with the Secret Santa. Did you enjoy your gift?
We might have missed some and only went back about a week, so be sure to take a look back yourself! Keep an eye out for the Character Intro Log as well. We try to keep up, but if you'd like to be listed let us know. If you'd like to throw your own event or plot, comment here.
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And that's about it. It's a lot of stuff so if you have any questions, concerns, or want things clarified, please comment here.
QUESTIONS/CONCERNS
no subject
1) Is Sunday Ebome or Ebdome? The calendar says Ebome, but Lindsy's post says Ebdome. Also, I'm confused about the notation of time. First she says Boreas 814 Ochta Ebdome 14 (Season Year Month Weekday Day), then she says Eurus 814 Pempte Penta 1 (Season Year Weekday Month Day). So that's a slightly different notation. (lmao look at me pointing out trifling details)
2) About the job listing, can we only choose the permanent jobs from NPC businesses that are listed on the sheet? The enforcers, for example, aren't on there and I'm curious whether that's a conscious decision because the enforcers would only allow natives to join.
no subject
2) The list was just a quick list, so it's definitely not complete and will continue to fill up. So it's not really a conscious decision to leave them out!
no subject
2) Ahh, I see. And there's still no OOC sign-ups for when a character wants to take a job like that?
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2) Currently no, but there will be in the near future once all this plot stuff has been taken care of. The meeting with Ledwika should also affect how that goes as well.
no subject